Short-eared Owl and Redstart

A Redpoll over the garden whilst I opened the moth trap this morning hinted at it being a good day, so I spent eight hours at work wondering what I was missing. I could even hear Skylarks going over as I was supervising miscreants in the 'Time Out' room, which didn't help! Texts from Lee and Keith confirmed there was lots turning up locally so I shot up to Orcombe as soon as work finished.

Best bird was a beautiful Short-eared Owl that was hunting the top fields for at least two hours until dusk. Also recorded was 1 Redstart, 1 Wheatear, a high count of 11+ Stonechat, 1 Siskin, 70+ Woodpigeon, c20+ Skylark, c50+ Meadow Pipit, 15 Starling, 1 Grey Wagtail and 6+ Chiffchaff.

Off Mudbank - 67+ Black-tailed Godwit, 57+ Redshank, 4 Dunlin and c80+ Turnstone with high and uncounted numbers of wildfowl. Yesterday there were 4 Greylag Geese off there.

An early morning pre-work spell on Orcombe on the 16th produced 2 Goldcrest, 6+ Song Thrush, 1 Lapwing, 1 Snipe and 3 Wheatear amongst a few other bits and pieces.

Presumed first-winter male Redstart - my first on Orcombe this autumn and a bit of a late one.

Meadow Pipit

Wheatear

Green-brindled Crescent

Large Wainscot

Vestal - other immigrant species were 1 Rush Veneer, 2 Rusty Dot Pearl, 2 Silver Y and a Dark Sword-grass.

Pine Carpet

 

Chestnut - other species trapped last night included L-album Wainscot, Black Rustic, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Angle Shades, Red-line Quaker, Barred Sallow, Feathered Ranunculus, Lunar Underwing, Double-striped Pug, Common Marbled Carpet, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Light Brown Apple Moth and a very late Apple Leaf Skeletoniser.

Song Thrush - part of a small arrival on Orcombe on Tuesday morning.

Plenty of stuff to see off Mudbank at the moment....

 

 

The Short-eared Owl was still hunting the top fields at dusk.